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Cyprus Implements EU Regulation on Maritime Transport Emissions

The Department of Merchant Shipping has issued a circular informing owners, managers and representatives of Cyprus flag ships of their obligations under EU Regulation 757/2015 on the monitoring, reporting and verification of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from maritime transport. The department has also informed owners, managers and representatives of ships calling at Cyprus ports, irrespective of flag, of the implementation of the regulation in Cyprus.

The regulation entered into force on July 1 2015 and provides for ship operators to measure CO2 emissions from their ships and report these results to the European Commission and their national maritime authority. The measurement and reporting procedures are subject to approval and monitoring by officially approved verifiers appointed by each EU member state's designated accreditation body.

Operators of Cyprus flag ships must submit a monitoring plan for each of their vessels to the appointed verifier no later than August 31 2017, indicating the method chosen to monitor and report CO2 emissions. For ships falling under the scope of the regulation for the first time after that date, the monitoring plan must be submitted to the verifier no later than two months after the ship's first call in an EU port.

From January 1 2018, based on the monitoring plan assessed and approved by the verifier, operators must monitor CO2 emissions for each ship on a per-voyage and yearly basis. From 2019, operators must submit annual emissions reports to the European Commission and the Department of Merchant Shipping by April 30 each year. These must be certified as satisfactory by the appointed verifier.

By June 30 2019, ships arriving at or departing from ports in Cyprus which have carried out voyages during the reporting period must carry on board valid documentary evidence of compliance.